Cheers to 2010!

We wish you all a roaring Year of the Tiger!

Simbang Gabi

Our first time to experience simbang gabi! We woke up very early to catch the 4:30AM mass. It was nice- breezy and all Chrismassy!

Our favorite part was breakfast at Pancake House after.

Julio's Specialty-- Delicioso!

Meet Chef Julio. Here demonstrating how to create the perfect pepperoni pizza! Watch and learn from the Master.

McHappy Run 2009

Supporting a good cause to provide reading lessons and materials to less fortunate students. Ofcourse, the free breakfast meal was an added incentive. Yummy! Love namin to!

Julio's Cartoon

Army Birthday

Dad and Mom outdid themselves once again! We had yet another super cool birthday party. We, Julio and Diego, turned 10 and 7, respectively this year and had an Army-themed party! Man, it just keeps getting better and better! Thanks Dad and Mom!

Okay, so first off we sent out these awesome invites to the recruits requesting them to wear their cammos and be ready for some real action. Our friends (and us) could hardly wait for the day to come. In the real sense of a military "top secret" operation, Dad and Mom would not tell us any of the details-- everything was supposed to be a "surprise attack"! It was torture (another military word, get it?)!

Then "D-Day" came! It was time to shine our boots and report to camp! Once there, the Recruit Officer (Tita Chiqui!) cammo painted our faces and ordered us to do some warm up exercises. Whew! we did our jumping jacks and push ups tough! Our Drill Sergeant was Ninang Sheila, she was so strict!

Then our first mission for the day was handed to us- Air Force Academy! We were all required to design and make the highest/farthest-flying fighter plane for the Air Force. We had to test-fly our prototypes (aka paper airplanes) one by one- the three best flying planes were awarded merits and prizes.

On to the next mission and next and next... we had a lot which included hot grenade, pin the medal on the soldier, drill sergeant commands and military ranking drill. Fun but challenging all the way!

And then just when we thought we were all going to rest, we were called to do some more missions:

Marine Field Training - This was our favorite! It was a test of our strength, endurance and even flexibility. We ran, we crawled, we rolled, we jumped and even needed to throw a grenade to a target. We hurdled like real soldiers on training. Hah!


Missing in Action and Rescue Missions - "No soldiers left behind!" This was our battle cry when we were tasked to locate and gather comrades- toy soldiers which were strategically scattered all over the camp by Drill Sergeant Ninang Sheila. Then we also had to rescue and apply first aid to an injured comrade.

Tug-Of-War - Ooh, what would a military exercise be without this ultimate test of muscles and grits! But ofcourse, we enjoyed this manly activity too!


It was really a party worthy of a Purple Heart! And our cake says it all! And to our Dad and Mom and Ninang Sheila and Tita Chiqui big big salute for giving us an eventful birthday party! Top honors go to you all!






Birthday boys with Dad and Mom all smiles after the party.

Owl in the City

We spotted an owl in his "daytime nap" on one of the trees in our village. An owl in the city- what a sight! If we keep the environment greener, we surely will get to see more and more of our animal friends getting closer to us. Now, that will be really neat!

Halloween 2009- War Heroes

We were soldiers in Halloween 2009! We got our uniforms from a real army store- now, we think that that is coolness!











With friends, neighbors and cousin Joshua, who was the third man in our battalion.

Santi Left Us Sans Tree

Typhoon Santi came after Ondoy. Unlike Ondoy, Santi was no rainy experience but a very windy one. It was just too much for our old Dear Tree in the park- it did not hold up was uprooted. That tree have seen worst and have weathered storms and typhoons in the past- guess Maybe it was not only Santi- but all those other typhoons that our Dear Tree weathered in the past. We thank Dear Tree for all those shady years. We will miss you.

Diego puts it perfectly: "The park will never be the same again without that tree."

Good news is there is a new tree planted on where Dear Tree once stood. And one day in the future it will remind us of Dear Tree.

In Honor of President Cory

Herbie Vs Ondoy

We found Herbie defeated by typhoon Ondoy.

Julio Reports: Typhoon Ondoy Hits Our Neighborhood Hard

During the height of typhoon Ondoy last Saturday (September 26th). This was how our neighborhood looked like. Miraculously, we were spared from the flood, with probably five cars away from this scene. We continue to pray for all those who were affected. May they find help and comfort very very soon.

Filipino Month

August is when we celebrate Filipino Month in school our school. Last Thursday, August 27th, was the culminating activity aptly and very Pinoy called Barrio Fiesta. We had a program showcasing all Filipino music, dance, culture and a lot more! And after, we had a "salo-salo" (or a banquet).


Diego and classmates sang and danced to the tunes of "Lubi-Lubi" (a coconut harvest song) and "Magtanim ay Di Biro" (a song about planting rice).

Julio's class on the other hand, sang Visayan songs "Dandansoy" and "Ahay Tuboran".

Magaling sina Julio at Diego! Once again making Dad and Mom very proud. Mabuhay!

We Love To Bike

Julio and Dad one day decided to go biking on the trail at the Fort Bonifacio. But it was August 21- the anniversary of Ninoy Aquino's heroism. And they were told that the trail (and the field) was closed for a military exercise.

So, they ended up biking along Bonifacio High Street. What fun?!

Diego Meets Snake Eyes

... and Baroness. What a treat!.. even for Dad.

President Cory - Salamat!

We got to know about People Power and President Cory from Dad and Mom. According to them, it was a historic time as the Filipinos regained democracy and freedom that time- from the martial law days of the Marcos regime.

We witnessed how the Filipinos regarded President Cory as a real icon and hero. It was overwhelming! And we could not help but admire her too.

We were excited to find out that President Cory's funeral cortege was passing by along South Super Hi-Way (literally, in font of our house)! And so we trooped down to the streets (er, highways) and waited... and waited. Wearing our yellow shirts and armed with our cameras, we did not mind the rain. Then, there it was... there she was... right in front of our very eyes. A Philippine flag draped over her casket, amid yellow flowers, four soldiers stood erect on guard... It was history right in front of our very eyes.

Tree Top, Ocean and other Adventures

Last weekend was adventure-filled! Road trip to Subic where we tried latest activity offering called the Tree Top Adventure. Dad and Diego tried the canopy ride around the forest riding a cable car suspended up to 100 feet above the forest ground, with feet angling over treetops!


We spent some time not only "on" the forest but also "in" the forest. We all went trekking with our jungle man guide "Manong Jun". We learned some jungle survival tips like how to get safe drinking water and yes how to make fire from resources around and within the forest. This was really a cool adventure. Watch us take a drink from lapatan vine--

Ocean Adventure Visit

Happy Father's Day To The Best Dad!

First Day School Year 2009-10

Today was end of summer break and we went back to school. We are now both in Grade School as Diego starts his 1st Grade year, and Julio is now in Grade 4. We thought Mom would cry- but not! She is a big girl now.

Julio Takes a New Hobby

Julio has taken photography as his new interest-- and he sure is having lots and lots of fun with his new hobby. During summer break, he enrolled in a photography class for kids and could not be stopped after that.

He has been taking pictures every opportunity that he could get. And mom says he is really getting better and better.

Here is photographer Julio at work.

Aerospace Museum

We discovered the Aerospace Museum! Cool place! It is actually the Philippine Air Force Museum that was moved to a new building. It is very near our house too-- what could be cooler than that?!

We like the military gadgets and gizmos on display. Uniforms, medals, weapons, ammunition, and even actual air craft and fighter planes. There is even the old Presidential Plane that was used by former President Marcos- with his personal touch evident as it is labeled 777 (Mom said that Pres. Marcos considered the number 7 his lucky number).

We highly recommend this museum to everyone especially to kids like us. It will surely be an educational experience! And oh- museum entrance fee is affordable -just P20!

Our Democratic World

A poem by Julio

Our beautiful day, which is today, is chosen to be so.
The people's government chose democracy that chooses peace.
We wouldn't live this far because we will die from war.
But democracy stops it from time to time.
It stops people to come and die.
It even stops horrible battle where people die and fear and rattle.
Good we have Democracy!

TF Visits Diego for the First Time

Diego is growing up and growing permanent teeth left and right -or maybe up and down. First baby tooth was out today (with the help of a dentist), and you know what that means-- yes! visit from the Tooth Fairy! Exciting time for Diego who is shown here with his new "smile" while wiggling off more baby teeth to make room for big boy teeth (translated as more treats from the Tooth Fairy). Congratulations Diego!

"Presidential Me" A Self-Portrait By Julio

Cool Bohol

We headed to Bohol for this year's family holy week retreat.

Bohol is cool! "So many things to see and do!" - that is a quote from Diego.

We stayed in Panglao Island where the beach is great. We love it for its fine white sand, warm water, and most of all for its peacefulness. The beach was not busy which we found quite pleasantly surprising.

But really our most favorite part was the trip to the magnificent Chocolate Hills! The postcards and pictures we see do not do justice to the splendor of the hills. They are just too beautiful and unbelievably too many. According to our driver, the hills turn chocolatey brown during the very dry season when there is not much rains to nourish the grass on them and plantation around them. We could just imagine what a yummy sight that could be!

Another favorite (at least for Dad and Mom) was the man-made forest uphill enroute the Choco Hills. According to our driver again(really, he was amazing), it was an initiative of the city mayor in the 1980s- he planted molave trees on an 8-hectare land along a hill (yes- one of the chocolate hills). The trees are now all full-grown and majestically provide a breathe of fresh and cool air. Really cool! If only we could breathe that kind of air everyday!

We had lunch on the floating restaurant by green waters of Loboc River and even walk on the hanging bridge that traverses the river.

Then for Julio, we went on to get some history fix and went to the Baclayon Church, oldest church in Bohol (the second in the entire Philippines). Also visited the blood compact monument. The site commemorates the friendship between the Spaniards, represented by Miguel Lopez de Legazpi, and the Boholanos who were represented by Rajah Sikatuna. The blood compact happened in 1565.
well worth it once we have spotted a pod of dolphins jumping in and out of the water a

And for the animal-loving Diego, we went dolphin watching in the wild. We had to wake up early for this activity- and were off to sea by sunrise. It was a waiting game but couple of times. We also went to see the smallest monkey in the world - the tarsiers. And visited a mini-zoo which had the longest phyton in captivity which is estimated to measure 25 feet and to weigh 200+ kilos (and still growing). Interestingly, the snake was found in a cemetery in 1996 by its owner, then only weighed 5 kilos and measured 5 feet in length. Scary cool huh?!

We Voted for Mother Earth

March 28, 2009 (8:30PM). We joined the global community and went lights off in support of Earth Hour. It was really cool! In our neighborhood, we all gathered in the park which was lighted with some torches. Us, kids, had such fantastic time playing and telling stories outdoor under the stars. But ofcourse, more importantly we knew that we were doing our share in helping Mother Earth combat global warming. Thumbs up for Mother Earth!

Running for our Whale Shark Friends

We feel very good! We did something good to help Mother Nature and we stand a little taller. We participated in the Condura Run 2009 (our second straight year!). We ran 3 kilometers to save the whale sharks... and finished quite decently in 35 minutes, better than last year's clocked time of about 37 minutes.

We are also proud of Dad and Mom who ran and finished the 10-kilometer race. Woohoo!

Have a look at the race results... and look for our names -

http://www.condurarun.com/results.html.

Also as another bonus, our names and race results will be published on the Philippine Star newspaper issue on March 29, 2009. Grab your copy-- and maybe we can autograph it for you. =D

An Event-full Weekend

Last weekend marked two very important events in our lives. Diego's graduation from pre-school and Julio's first communion. Congratulations 2x!

On Friday (the 13th), Diego graduated from Kindergarten! We all felt very happy for and proud of our little big boy as he so deservingly stood on stage and received his diploma. Good Job! Diego is now ready to face the challenges of cool grade school- you bet.

Then on Saturday (the 14th of March), another milestone-- Julio's First Communion! It was an exciting time as Julio has so long been waiting for that day! We again beamed with pride and joy as we bore witnesses to this important moment.

Ofcourse, there were celebrations after each event-- big meal with family and gifts gifts gifts! Well, we cannot stop the boys from growing up now!

Surprising Dad on his Birthday!

It was another road trip for Dad's birthday. Our destination-- Anvaya in Bataan!

We surprised Dad to a relaxing day-off at the beach- and it turned into a fantastic time for the whole family! Swimming, sunning, kayaking, trekking in the forest and just hanging out.

Ofcourse, we made sure that Dad enjoyed his special day! We surprised him with a cake and room-service breakfast! Then with gifts that we got for from our own savings! Books from Julio, running gear from Diego and Mom. He said it was one of the best birthdays he had ever had-- and we are just glad. Happy birthday to the coolest Dad!



Before and after the cake.....































And more fun pictures... need we say more?!!!