by rossanahead | Jun 4, 2011 | children, family, parenting, Rossana Llenado, woman
By Rossana Llenado
What I like about traveling is that I get to discover so many things. And by that, I don’t just mean all the unique characteristics of a particular destination, but all those charming characteristics that travel brings out in my children.
Last week, we were finally able to take a trip to Korea. We’ve wanted to go for the longest time, but work and my kids’ equally hectic schedule interfered with our plans.
For four glorious days, we found ourselves in the land of kimchi and cherry blossoms. Incheon Airport did not disappoint. One of the most efficient airports in the world, it is state-of-the-art serving some 15 million passengers every year. So efficient is this airport that we were able to get out of there in just 15 minutes! How’s that for a good first impression?
We did a lot of walking during those four days, which wasn’t such a hassle as their sidewalks were not only wide, they were also pretty! The sidewalks were landscaped so there were many flowers and trees and greens, very picturesque.
I am so happy that my kids like the museums and parks more than the malls and amusement parks. The garden outside the National Museum of Korea had all these sculptures and benches. There was also a beautiful playground with exercise equipments all around. We ended up trying all of them. It was fun!
We also visited the six-acre Biwon (Secret Garden), which is located inside the Changdeokgung Palace. It was a magnificent garden filled with woodland paths, lotus ponds, and pleasure pavilions. We just walked and walked and walked, taking in the scenery and the fresh air.
I love it as well that my kids were adventurous when it came time to eat. We ate Korean food every day. We couldn’t get enough of it!
That’s why I love taking my Nicolo, Paolo, Darla, and Meg on trips abroad. They make for the best travel companions because they’re always open to new adventures and experiences. Till the next trip, kiddos!
by rossanahead | Jun 2, 2011 | children, family, Karen Galarpe, parenting, woman
By Karen Galarpe
As I write this, my mom is intently watching a teleserye, squinting through her glasses. At the next commercial break, I know what she’ll do: pick up her crochet kit and resume crocheting something–a bag, a coaster, or a tablecloth–until the teleserye comes back on TV.
Every night, she would do this for as far back as I can remember.
Sometimes I would ask her what crochet project she’s working on. And so she would tell me. But at other times she herself doesn’t know what would come out of it. She’d continue crocheting just the same, much like an abstract artist would continue painting with no idea where it would lead, and be thrilled (or dismayed) at the end result.
I have always wondered why I never took to doing crochet. Just looking at the repetitive motions seems to bore me, and really, I would just rather read, or watch NatGeo or the news.
In the same way, I have always wondered why I never liked mahjong, which my mom has been playing almost every day since I was old enough to go to preschool. I remember playing patintero and tumbang preso at someone’s front yard or backyard while our moms were inside the house, playing their own game.
While my mom follows every teleserye on her favorite TV channel, I can’t stand watching Pinoy drama on TV. After a day of working hard, I really prefer to relax and not delve into the problems of some drama princess on TV.
Clearly, my mom and I are so different.
But we are also so alike.
We both like to eat out, are both morning persons, and like fried rice and salted dried fish for breakfast. We both enjoy sweets and coffee, and like discovering new places. We’re not good swimmers and neither are we good cooks. But we both like Michael Buble, and strongly believe family should always come first.
Some years back, my mom and I would take turns picking up my son from school. Rain or shine, she would be there to make sure my son sees a familiar face at dismissal time on days I’m tied up with work.
Last month, she turned 80. Those years of making sundo from school are long past, with my son in high school and her gait not as strong as before. Her hands may tremble a bit while working on her current crochet project, but she’d continue just the same.
She’s still the same mom I’ve known all these years.
Moms are God’s blessings, don’t you agree?
by rossanahead | May 28, 2011 | Education, family, Mari-an Santos
By Mari-An Santos
In school, Math was not my strongest subject. Somehow, I did very well at English, Filipino, and Social Studies–and good enough at Science, but I was terrible at Math! This is ironic for someone whose father is excellent at Math.
My father can mentally compute at lightning speed. And it must have been disappointing for him to have a daughter who was moved to tears by complex equations–if only there were more established tutorial services when I was in school. Instead, my father spent many late nights trying to explain to me why x’s and y’s could be relevant to real life.
I begged my Math whiz friends to help me understand the lessons every week. Every time we had a quiz, a long test, or an exam, however, my pulse would race. I would get light-headed and sweat profusely. I was literally terrified! I just barely passed—but never failed—Math every single quarter.
Though my choice of course in college depended largely on my passion, one other factor was the fact that I just needed to take three units of Math. Sold!
When I was thinking of pursuing a second degree, I considered another interest: engineering. But when I saw the list of prerequisite subjects—a lot of them, complex Maths–I backed down. I knew myself well enough to know my limits. And besides, I am no masochist.
In the real world, however, I encountered Math on a daily basis: computing the division of a meal with friends, making sure I got the exact change, and figuring out if I had enough money to commute home. Soon, I was no longer nervous when I mentally computed how much money I should hand over. I developed my own system so that I never missed a beat.
I get by. I don’t shy away from Math anymore–just don’t make me go through Calculus again.
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by rossanahead | May 14, 2011 | career, children, Education, family, parenting, Rossana Llenado, woman
By Rossana Llenado
rossana llenado
Women work for all sorts of reasons. For some, it is to pursue a lifelong passion. For others, it is to have that sense of self-fulfillment inherent in a job well done.
One of the reasons that I started Ahead Tutorial and Review Center 16 years ago was because I wanted to be able to manage my own time. I was a mother of twins, and leaving them in the hands of strangers was not acceptable. Going into the tutorial business seemed like a very good idea. Not only could I pursue my passion for teaching and molding young minds, I also get to keep an eye on my children.
Today, I have four children of my own, but thousands more that I could very well call my own. Yes, one of the great joys of being in the business of education is that you get the chance to meet all these wonderful children and see them grow up into young adults with purpose. You could see it in their eyes—that burning desire to learn and improve.
Nothing gives me greater pleasure than seeing a student shine—and I’m fortunate enough to have witnessed this many times over. A child would come to us, defeated because of failing grades, and then several months later, he has grown confident in his skills—and has improved his grades immensely.
And so, whenever faced with the everyday problems of raising four children and managing a company, I just picture that child who could now walk with his head held high.
by rossanahead | May 12, 2011 | children, family, Jing Lejano, parenting, woman
By Jing Lejano
On the way home with V the other night, she asked, “You don’t wake your kids up in the morning?” “No.” “Who wakes them up? “They wake up by themselves.” “Who makes their breakfast?” “They’re old enough to make their own breakfast.”
V gave me a look of utter surprise, as if I belonged to some other planet. She goes on to tell me that her mom still wakes her up in the mornings and fixes everybody breakfast. V is in her twenties.
D, who is in his thirties, also once told me that his mother makes sure that breakfast is ready for everybody. And I gave him a look of utter surprise, as if he belonged to some other planet.
Well, apparently, I am the one who belongs to a galaxy far, far away.
I don’t wake my kids up in the morning, but I can stay up with them all night. I don’t do breakfast, but I can cook Lasagna, Sisig, Pata Beans, and Chicken Pickle whenever I have the time and the inclination. I don’t do the laundry, but I work–although my work is on such a crazy schedule that it might see me wracking my brains one day and sleeping all day the next. I may not be able to attend each and every school-related activity but when I do, I am my child’s loudest cheer leader—much to his consternation. I may not be able to help them with all their schoolwork, but I hyperventilate whenever they get sick, and could hardly sleep unless something happens in the middle of the night. I can’t iron but hey, I can sing and I can dance.
There are all sorts of ways of being a mommy; this is mine.
by rossanahead | May 10, 2011 | children, family, Lyra Pore, parenting
By Lyra Pore
It had been a long drive. My young family had just spent seven hours on the road; and we were relieved to have finally arrived at the Twelve Apostles, one of the most popular tourist destinations in Victoria, Australia. Getting a glimpse of the famed rock formations would be a fitting highlight to our road trip after the scenic drive along the Great Ocean Road. My children, however, thought otherwise.
My six-year-old asked, “Is this all we’ve travelled seven hours for? To see rocks in the water? And, look, they’re not even twelve.”
“The drive is part of the experience,” I’d told the girls earlier. But dizzy as they were from the twists and turns on the zigzag coastal road, they completely missed the point. To them, the fun part was getting off the car, running on the beach, and picking up pebbles and shells they could take home.
Earlier that week, my husband and I had taken them on a sightseeing trip to the Melbourne City Center. It would be fun, I figured, to ride the tram that went around the city and hop on and off to check out different tourist spots. But my girls didn’t even bother to look out the windows. They took out their Nintendo DSi games and played with them the whole time we were in the tram. The Melbourne day-out would have been a complete disaster had we not stumbled upon a sand pit where they were happy enough to play with shovels and pails.
I picked up some brochures at the visitor information centre to find other places we could visit. Ballarat, a gold rush town with lovely 19th century architecture, would be interesting–not to the children though. They sat at the back of the car with this bored look on their young faces unable to appreciate what could be so fascinating about those brick houses that were built over a hundred years ago.
“Can we swim in the pool when we get back?”
To them, the highlight of the day was heading back to the resort and frolicking in the pool. Last weekend, a family friend suggested we go on a family holiday in New Zealand. We would see things there, he said, that we wouldn’t find in Australia.
“We’re not ready for it,” I said to my husband, memories of our trip to Victoria still fresh on my mind. “The children aren’t interested in sightseeing.” It wouldn’t really matter to them where they went. Their idea of a great holiday was simple: just let them play.
